Hi from Santa Monica, CA!

[BBQ_Bill]

I'm kind of new here myself Johnny, but none-the-less I wish to welcome you to "The Pit".
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In October of last year I fired up my 1st brand new KBQ.
On this "maiden voyage" were 2 full packer briskets, nicely trimmed, rubbed and positioned evenly inside this fine smoker.
This choice of meat was made in knowing that if I can master this tough and so called "ornery" cut of meat, the other cuts of meat will line up like "ducks" for me.
Yes... a brave move with two smoked full packer briskets on the first KBQ run.
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To my amazement Sir, this here beginners briskets were so good, that they beat out the best BBQ brisket here in Phoenix according to 4 "tasters/testers" that had eaten brisket from that VERY popular BBQ house just one day prior.
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So... at this date Sir, I have lost count of just how many briskets these two KBQ's have smoked, but it is somewhere just under 100 according to my smoke data collecting buddy Mike, who also is one of my official Q tasters.
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When you get ready to smoke a brisket, give me a call and I will work with you.
You have my number on the instruction sheet in the door kit box.
Thank you kindly for your purchase.
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Smoke On!

[johnnylighton]

Hey BBQ_Bill, I remember reading your post about your first briskets! I do want to smoke brisket, although maybe not for my first cook. I will let you know when I'm going to try one!

[DWCowles]

Welcome johnnylighton

[BBQ_Bill]

Sounds good. If you need any "smoking advice" or hints for that 1st smoke, there is a lot of great info here, plus I will be glad to help out as well.
Just message me or feel free to call my cell.
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To get you started, here below are a few quick helping hints.
To keep my machine cleaner and moist during smokes...
I use an aluminum Nordic Ware Bakers Three Quarter Sheet in the very bottom of the cook chamber.
I bought it at Walmart.
It is filled with water at the beginning and water is added to it about every three hours or so thereafter.
It measures 15" wide X 21" in length.
This measurement was taken at the extreme outside edges.
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Next, I add (install) the KBQ side rails which hold the racks.
Now, above that pan in the second from the bottom slot I side in a full sized 1" deep stainless steam table pan.
When slid all the way in and against the manifold in the back, I add a bit of water to this pan as well.
These two pans keep the bottom of the cook box quite clean from dripping oil, juices, and spritz.
PLUS,
A major amount of heat travels to the bottom of the KBQ's manifold, hits the back "floor" of the cook chamber, and comes across towards the front.
These two pans form a controlled channel if you will, funneling the heat through a moist "slot" like area.
This two pan thing was a suggestion from Bill Karau the inventor and manufacturer of the KBQ.
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He suggested this when I got with him and told him about this odd problem I was having.
I told him that the meat on the bottom of the cook chamber was developing a 1/4" layer on the underside only, that was dehydrated, and semi-hard.
It was basically jerky-like in consistency.
In slicing the meat, it was really tough to cut through this bottom layer Johnny, even with a large sharp knife.
With these two pans, this problem is a thing of the past and the cooking chamber stays quite moist as well.
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Another suggestion from Mr. Karau was to cook fat side down for brisket.
With that suggestion, I started placing bone side down when smoking beef ribs.
This fat side down/bone side down positioning works GREAT in my two KBQ smokers!
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One more quick note...
When loading racks with meats to smoke, favor the locations closer to the door and try to leave a few inches of clear area on the racks next to the heat manifold in the back.
When smoking fatty and lean meats at the same time, try to position the leaner cuts of meat closer to the door and the fattier ones towards the back.
Try to work at keeping those few inches on the very back of the racks clear if possible.
I "Hawk" for dry spots and try to keep them moist with spritz, paying special attention to the meat closer to the manifold.
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Smoke On!

[johnnylighton]

Thanks for the tips, Bill!

[JCGrill]

Welcome and congrats! I'll be honest, I find the KBQ rather intimidating, good for for jumping right in. Mainly for me it's about sourcing the wood.

[freetrial001]

Welcome to this forum!

[BBQ_Bill]

Howdy freetrial001.
I am kind of new here too but welcome you as well!

[kmhfive]

Welcome to the Pit freetrial001 !

[BBQ_Bill]

JCGrill, I guess it depends on the area where you live, but I find wood on Craigslist.org fairly easily.
I ALWAYS make sure they understand that THEIR 1/2 cord will fill my custom built and sized trailer to level with the top BEFORE I commit. (It is 2 foot X 4 foot x 8 foot)
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I find it amazing how many say they are selling a cord and it is nowhere near a true cord of wood.
They name it a face cord or some such thing.
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Am now down to about 1/8 cord of oak, so I am going to pick up another half cord of cut and split post oak tomorrow for $125 which is okay I suppose for Phoenix.

[Huskee]

Belated welcome to The Pit johnnylighton! Happy to have you here, glad to hear you've figgered out that trusty ol' Weber!

Since this is your first post, please check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos. This will help you learn your way around so you can get the best experience from our forum.

Also, it's very important that you:

1. Give us an email address you actually use. You can check the email we have on file for you by clicking your name in the upper-right, then User Settings, then the Notifications tab. You currently cannot change your email on file with us since it’s tied to your Pitmaster Club account as well as our payment processor, Stripe. Don’t worry though, we’d be happy to change it for you. PM (private message) me with your email change request, or via email at huskee[at]AmazingRibs[dot]com.
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Hope to hear & see more from you!

[CaptainMike]

Howdy from The Great State of Jefferson!